Boaters urged to watch for manatees

As cold weather settles in, hordes of manatees are expected to barrel down the Intracoastal Waterway to warm-water refuges in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

"Boaters should slow down and strictly obey posted speed restrictions in manatee-protection zones," states a news release from Broward County's Natural Resources Planning and Management Division.

In cold weather, manatees head to the warm-water discharge zones of power plants in Riviera Beach, Port Everglades and inland in Fort Lauderdale. Among the busiest waterways for manatees will be the Intracoastal, New River, South Fork of the New River, Dania Cut-Off Canal and the waters around the Port of Palm Beach and Port Everglades.

Statewide, 78 manatees have been killed by watercraft this year, including two in Palm Beach County and three in Broward.